By Violet Lazarus The Rev. Daren Jaime said today 274 South Side residents were vaccinated at The People’s AME Zion Church located on South Salina Street. The church is the first pop up point of distribution for the COVID-19 vaccine in Syracuse as part of a New York State initiative to equitably and effectively vaccinate its residents. Gov. Andrew Cuomo …

By Violet Lazarus The theme of Mayor Ben Walsh’s State of the City speech on Thursday night was progress despite the pandemic.  Walsh broadcast the speech live from Salt City Market, a food hall on South Salina Street that will offer a range of cuisine as diverse as Syracuse residents, which is set to open Jan. 29, the mayor announced …

PGR Foundation holds interactive discussion to honor Black legacies — past and future By Violet Lazarus Over 60 women and girls were admitted into Poised Gifted and Ready’s virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Day event to Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls).”  The inspirational event titled “Our VP Looks Like Me” was a celebration of Black history and commemoration of Wednesday’s …

Feedback sought on plans to reinvent and modernize police strategies By Marnie Muñoz After George Floyd’s death in 2020, local elected officials heard a resounding, urgent call from Syracuse residents: that previous police reform efforts were simply not enough. Mayor Ben Walsh repeated this sentiment during a virtual public forum held Tuesday.  Although Syracuse has made some progress since the …

Staff Report Residents, ages 55 and older, will soon be able to walk or run laps at the Magnarelli Community Center gymnasium, located at 2308 Grant Boulevard, beginning Tuesday, Jan.  19.“We understand the importance of physical activity and how the lack of it can impact an individual’s overall well-being,” said Parks Commissioner Julie LaFave in a press release. “We have …

By Walk Shepperd Art Zimmer recalls when he worked 70 hours a week to build 13 multi-million dollar businesses. Upon retirement, he found himself working 70 hours a week, but as a volunteer for non-profits in the community, most of which are now closed due to the novel coronavirus. Now 82, what is Art Zimmer doing? He tells The Stand’s …

By Ashley Kang For the past 15 years Christine Barner-Hall has outfitted her home on Rose Avenue with a holiday lights display, which her niece Shiann Atuegbu believes rivals that of homes in more affluent neighborhoods.  Her love of Christmas and this festive time of year is her inspiration. “This is the time Jesus Christ was born,” Barner-Hall said. The …

Chief investigator in clinical study shares insight with local doctors By Marnie Muñoz Pfizer’s research results and panel recommendation from the Food and Drug Administration have Dr. Stephen Thomas feeling cautiously optimistic about the Pfizer vaccine’s potential to help bend the COVID-19 pandemic curve. Thomas, who is lead principal investigator for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trial and chief of infectious …

By Marnie Muñoz The United States solved its problems differently before 2020, said Dr. Kishana Taylor.  For every public health crisis the country encountered before, the situation would slowly ease out of the spotlight as vaccines became available — often at the expense or dismissal of marginalized communities disparately impacted by the disease. But this year, COVID-19’s enormous death toll …